Your Coffee

From hills in Central America

Or perhaps Africa

Precious Black Gold

Endures a voyage like no other

Such toil entailed

From harvesting trails

By sails to shores of America

Entrusted to your favorite barista

But your coffee

I dared not partake

For it told a tale

Before I availed

Of intentions neither golden

Nor precious –but sour

I confess, I foresaw

Coffee brewed:

-too hot with rage

-too stale with age

With ample chortles and snorts

Such bitterness your beans betrayed!

So you see

The only coffee

By which my being disarms

Is steeped with loving regard
For me

Chosen

Amidst forlorn cries,

kittens look with learning eyes
-their new chosen’s smile

Written for Tweetspeak Poetry Press - Weekly Poetry Prompt: Cat Poetry via http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2013/11/04/cat-poetry-the-cats-meow-playlist/

On Recapturing Childhood Creativity - A Ghazal

The child who’s lost her hold as age deludes her skeptic girl

Fate knows, and her dreams for you behold optimistic, girl

Where, pray tell, have you misplaced your wildly budding mind’s eye?

Where dreams no longer blossom and betray eccentric, girl

Never ordinary at play any given young day

Reaps older, though rounded spirit -the altruistic girl

The blaze of Life’s to-do lists lets Time’s miser furl its fists

Bares a soul who’s lost her magic –a veiled artistic girl

And I, Marcella, need just stop and look beyond the glare

It’s always been in your child’s eyes to be prolific, girl!

Written for Every Day Poems/Tweetspeak Poetry Press - Weekly Poetry Prompt: Ghazal Poetry via http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2013/10/07/ghazal-poetry/

Featured at Every Day Poems/Tweetspeak Poetry Press at http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2013/10/21/ghazal-poetry-sing-the-childhood-loss/#comment-67784

Featured in Tweetspeak Poetry's Top Ten Posts From the Last Month at http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2013/10/31/tweetspeak-poetrys-top-ten-posts-from-the-last-month-or-so/

Featured at Tweetspeak Poetry - Sing the Childhood Loss at http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2013/10/21/ghazal-poetry-sing-the-childhood-loss/

Yellow Bus Memories

Yellow bus memories

Of summertime and childhood

Takes me along Western Highway

Seventy plus miles to then Santa Rosa,

District of Cayo,

From City of Belize,

In Central America

Of Batty Brothers Bus Line

By Pound Yard Bridge

Our point of departure

Jam-packed,

With excitement

And Spanish valises

To chickens up top

Holiday-bound

Belizeans -to relatives

Tourists -to ancient sites

Among others         

Homeward-bound

Their well-worn way

From a long work day

Past Spanish Lookout

-a Mennonite town

Where smiles breakout

As miles wind down

Humble homes decorate

Verdant Maya Mountain-scapes

Ah, I feel a belonging!

Next stop, Santa Elena,

Ours, Santa Rosa

Then, San Ignacio Town

-all sculpted by Macal and Mopan

As if separating Our West

From Their East

-I never wondered how we’d gotten along

Oh, but I couldn’t wait

For Mama Tina’s

Hand-made tortillas

Fire-hearth-flavored

In her smoke-filled cocina

Like her mother’s

And her mother’s mother’s

For a daily swim

In the pebble-bottomed river

Pulsing through

My abuelo’s back yard,

Its rocky, tree-lined pathway

Most likely chiseled by his father

And his father’s father

For my cousins,

To show us their games

My aunts and uncles,

To teach us their ways

Gifts handed down

Memories of which, to this day,

Abound

Written for Hedgebrook - Weekend Writing Prompt: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151666712086312&set=a.10150264031066312.327232.201509641311&type=1&theater

Waking Up

Before I open my eyes

Before imprints of yesterday

Become visible through sunlit lids

Before I stretch into my persona’s housecoat

I am as grateful as a morning glory

-fully-kissed by the rising sun

I am free as a butterfly floating to nectar

–blissfully unaware of hungry sparrows nearby

I am there –I am that flower -that butterfly

Before my awakening dawns on me

Written for Every Day Poems/T.S. Poetry Press - Tuesday Poetry Prompt: Waking up via https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=554089907988806&set=a.250609428336857.62979.250601428337657&type=1&theater

Penelope

Good ole Penelope

Purple people-pleaser

She is

Never one to turn down

A chance

To show us around town

Eyes agog

Always open to fun

She is

Engine panting like a dog

After a mile-long chase

With a wide grin on her face

Neither rain nor snow

Nor age nor sun

That is

Slows this feisty

Little lady

Of a VW Beetle down

Written for Every Day Poems - "light verse" poetry prompt at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=523837561014041&set=a.250609428336857.62979.250601428337657&type=1&theater

Photo by Krow 10, Creative Commons, via Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/krow10/5310616123/in/faves-everydaypoems/

My Book

In my beginning

I sensed my shadow,

but refused to know it

An onionskin tome,

latched and locked

between hardened covers

Always looking away,

I was convinced:

It was too big

It was too heavy

It was not mine

It was a secret

Like a spectre –it loomed

and other shadows

drew upon it –took of it,

marked and tore its pages

In truth, I failed to defend

this misread book

As its edges grew ragged

and creases pierced me,

I wanted –needed

to unlock those stories

Introduce myself

Unfold my life

I heaved its cover,

let go of difficult words,

embraced each page,

smoothed careless dog-ears,

patched abusive tears,

and learned its purpose

-to serve, to love

Now I see it,

I am convinced:

It is big

I can carry it

It is mine

It is to be shared

Many chapters later,

I am peace-in-progress

I now walk with my shadow

Unfolding new stories

This is me –my life

My book to love

My book of love

Written for Every Day Poems Friday Poetry Prompt "Unfold My Life" via 

https://www.facebook.com/everydaypoems and http://wordcandy.me/wcandy/ship/1364521281u1w1298r_274/